ActionAid - Runners Guide to Core strength · Runners Guide to Core Strength Devised by Jane Wake...

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Runners Guide to Core Strength Devised by Jane Wake This is a guide to Core Strength prepared by Jane Wake, a top fitness professional. Jane works with ActionAid to enhance your running experience however we cannot be held responsible for any injuries you may have. Please consult your doctor if you have any concerns at all. What is core training? Core training is the latest buzzword in fitness. Rather than a passing fad however, core training has its roots based in rehabilitation and physiotherapy. It has been proven to help tremendously with injury prevention and rehabilitation, whilst also enhancing performance. Paula Radcliff is a prime example of a top athlete who has incorporated core training in order to maximise potential and reach the top. What does it involve? Core training is about trying to control inner muscles such as the deeper abdominal and pelvic floor muscles. These are muscles that are supposed to have an automatic response, i.e. without us having to think about using them - e.g. try coughing…your stomach will have an automatic reflex as you cough. This is an example of your core abdominal muscle working. With our day-to-day lives however core muscles can become very weak and sometimes shut down almost completely. With sedentary living, at worst, this will make you more immobile and vulnerable to problems such as chronic back pain. The long distance runner however is more at risk to injury if they have weak core muscles. Also within core training comes the need for correct posture and training techniques. Exercise methods such as Pilates emphasise all of these things. Some of these methods are extremely useful to the long distance runner. How can core training help me with my running technique? The way you run can make a huge difference to both your performance and injury risk. A natural running motion is to strike down with the heel, roll through the foot, slightly on the outside (this is called pronation) and then to roll slightly to the inside (this is called suprination) and then push off from the inside of the ball of the foot. Your spine should be upright and your hips steady – it is the strength of your core muscles that help you to stay in this position. Your arms should swing naturally from side to side, but relaxed. Your spine should gently rotate around your waist as your arms swing and your hips power you forward. We think of running as a just a forward propelled action but there is a lot of rotational patterns within a good running movement – rotational patterns in the foot and the waist help to increase the power of your movement. Another assumption is to think of the legs as the most important part of a running action but the most powerful joint from which you should be propelling yourself forward is the hip. Your gluteuals (backside muscles) are integral to this power. As you push off from the ball of your foot, your leg should then kick behind you and your backside muscles power you forward. Many runners will argue that this style of running is not ‘economical.’ Instead they prefer to adopt a forward leaning position and rely more on leg power to increase their stride. This is exactly how Paula Ratcliffe used to run - but she didn’t win marathons running that way. If you look at her style now it is far more upright, the head nodding has gone, her stride length has widened and you can see her core and backside muscles working on every stride. Whilst we can not all be perfect runners, we can improve on what we have got and we can aim to improve both our technique and strength. For any runner whether novice or top athlete, one of the most important reasons for focusing on this is injury prevention. Excessive rolling of the feet, excessive movement of the hips and poor posture can lead to injury. If we are aware of our core muscles and running technique we can help to minimise the effects of these movements, enabling us to run stronger and for longer!

Transcript of ActionAid - Runners Guide to Core strength · Runners Guide to Core Strength Devised by Jane Wake...

Page 1: ActionAid - Runners Guide to Core strength · Runners Guide to Core Strength Devised by Jane Wake ... A. Focus on the roll of your foot, without force, naturally aim to place the

Runners Guide to Core Strength Devised by Jane Wake

This is a guide to Core Strength prepared by Jane Wake, a top fitness professional. Jane works with ActionAid to enhance your running experience however we cannot be held responsible for any injuries you may have. Please consult your doctor if you have any concerns at all.

What is core training? Core training is the latest buzzword in fitness. Rather than a passing fad however, core training has its roots based in rehabilitation and physiotherapy. It has been proven to help tremendously with injury prevention and rehabilitation, whilst also enhancing performance. Paula Radcliff is a prime example of a top athlete who has incorporated core training in order to maximise potential and reach the top.

What does it involve? Core training is about trying to control inner muscles such as the deeper abdominal and pelvic floor muscles. These are muscles that are supposed to have an automatic response, i.e. without us having to think about using them - e.g. try coughing…your stomach will have an automatic reflex as you cough. This is an example of your core abdominal muscle working. With our day-to-day lives however core muscles can become very weak and sometimes shut down almost completely. With sedentary living, at worst, this will make you more immobile and vulnerable to problems such as chronic back pain. The long distance runner however is more at risk to injury if they have weak core muscles. Also within core training comes the need for correct posture and training techniques. Exercise methods such as Pilates emphasise all of these things. Some of these methods are extremely useful to the long distance runner.

How can core training help me with my running technique? The way you run can make a huge difference to both your performance and injury risk. A natural running motion is to strike down with the heel, roll through the foot, slightly on the outside (this is called pronation) and then to roll slightly to the inside (this is called suprination) and then push off from the inside of the ball of the foot. Your spine should be upright and your hips steady – it is the strength of your core muscles that help you to stay in this position. Your arms should swing naturally from side to side, but relaxed. Your spine should gently rotate around your waist as your arms swing and your hips power you forward. We think of running as a just a forward propelled action but there is a lot of rotational patterns within a good running movement – rotational patterns in the foot and the waist help to increase the power of your movement. Another assumption is to think of the legs as the most important part of a running action but the most powerful joint from which you should be propelling yourself forward is the hip. Your gluteuals (backside muscles) are integral to this power. As you push off from the ball of your foot, your leg should then kick behind you and your backside muscles power you forward. Many runners will argue that this style of running is not ‘economical.’ Instead they prefer to adopt a forward leaning position and rely more on leg power to increase their stride. This is exactly how Paula Ratcliffe used to run - but she didn’t win marathons running that way. If you look at her style now it is far more upright, the head nodding has gone, her stride length has widened and you can see her core and backside muscles working on every stride. Whilst we can not all be perfect runners, we can improve on what we have got and we can aim to improve both our technique and strength. For any runner whether novice or top athlete, one of the most important reasons for focusing on this is injury prevention. Excessive rolling of the feet, excessive movement of the hips and poor posture can lead to injury. If we are aware of our core muscles and running technique we can help to minimise the effects of these movements, enabling us to run stronger and for longer!

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Finding your core Deep Abdominals Lie on the floor on your back, knees bent, hands open by your side and with your spine in a small arch in the lower back. Practise breathing in and out slowly. Focus on the rise and fall of your rib cage as you breathe. Now try to connect to pulling in your lower abdomen as you breathe out, aiming to keep your spine in exactly the same position as you breathe. Deep Back and Shoulder Repeat the deep abdominals techniques but now, as you breathe out also think about drawing your shoulder blades back and down, flattening them into the back of your rib cage. You can try walking your fingers towards you feet to help with this. Pelvic Floor Repeat the above but now, as you breathe out also think about pulling up muscles from underneath and inside, as if you were trying to stop yourself from going to the toilet. By becoming more conscious of all of the above you can help to make your spine, pelvis and upper back far more stable. The stronger your core, the more stable these areas will be when you run.

Improving your running technique 1. It’s important when aiming to improve your running technique that you don’t suddenly try to run with perfect heel strike action. If for example you currently run on your toes, i.e. heels always off the ground, your calf (back leg) muscles are likely to be very tight. If you suddenly change to a heel strike action you could strain a calf muscle. The first thing to do is to get a fellow runner to run behind you and watch you run. Do you run on your toes? Do your hips drop excessively on each stride? Are you dominant to one side? i.e. strike more heavily to one side, do your feet excessively roll either to the outside (duck waddling) or the inside (pigeon toed). If any of the above movements are extremely obvious it is advisable to see a specialist such as a sports podiatrist or sports physiotherapist. They will advise you on shoe insoles (orthotics) and exercises to specifically help you to address imbalances in your body that could cause injury. You can also get help from specialist sport’s shop who will analyse your foot strike pattern for you and help you to choose running shoes that suit your body’s mechanics.

2. Next read through our Runners Guide to stretching. Stretching is just as important as core strength to preventing injury and improve your technique. When going through the recommended stretches, assess your own body for tightness - is one hip tighter than the other? Is my back really stiff? Which stretches do I need to focus on more to help me improve my mobility?

3. Next go through the following core strength exercises. These have been specifically designed so that you can do them at home without the need for equipment. You should be aiming to do them at least three times a week.

4. When out running use the mantra below as you run. It’s really good to do this when you are at the point in a run where you feel your attention waning and you are struggling to keep going. This is the point at which your running technique can worsen. Focusing on the mantra now can not only keep you motivated but also prevent injury.

Mantra

A. Focus on the roll of your foot, without force, naturally aim to place the rear of your foot down first and then push off from the inside of the ball of your toe

B. As you push off from the ball of your foot, think of extending your leg behind you and squeezing your backside muscles as your leg kicks behind.

C. Lift your tummy and focus on keeping your back upright. D. Relax your shoulders back and down and keep looking straight ahead E. Now shake your arms out – just let them hang down. F. Take a few deep breaths and aim to relax the arms and shoulders some more, shaking

them out as you exhale. G. Now allow your arms to come back into a natural, low swing. H. Connect to your core muscles (see finding your core above) and feel your waist wind up

as your arms naturally swing from side to side. I. Run through the process a couple more times. Continue to use deep breaths and keep

your upper body tall but relaxed. Focus on the power coming from your hips as you propel yourself forward with each strong, powerful stride.

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Core strength routine to do at home (use a mirror to check your posture) a) Stand, feet hip width and focus on correct posture i.e. small curve in your lower back, legs straight but knees slightly soft, feet well balanced, tummy in, pelvic floor up, shoulders back and down and chin drawn in. Breathe in and out 4 – 6 times focusing on tightening core muscle as you breathe out.

b) Walk heel to toe on the spot, aiming to keep hips level tummy in and pelvic floor contracted. Continue to breathe throughout. Repeat 10 times on each foot.

c) Go back to a standing posture as a) and practise breathing out as you lift both arms up to shoulder level – aim to keep your tummy in pelvic floor contracted and work on sliding your shoulder blades down as your arms lift. Aim to keep your shoulders down at all times i.e. don’t hunch! d) Now lift your whole foot off the floor whilst trying to maintain all of

the points in a) Also imagine there is a stake running horizontally from one hip to the other, aim to keep this level as you lift each leg alternately. After 5 lifts on each leg, aim to try and lift your knee up higher and hold and balance on each foot for 4 – 10 counts. Repeat 5 times on each leg.

d1) If you find the above easy, progress to taking your foot further forward and going into a lunge – roll from the heel into a flat foot and lower, keeping your weight on your heel. Hold the lunge for 4 – 10 counts and check out your knee - it should stay directly in line above your foot and your feet should remain in parallel lines, hip width apart. Keep your knee behind your toes and your posture upright. Lift back up to a foot lift position, rolling back through the foot. Hold in a foot lift as in d) for 4 – 10 counts. Then try to reverse, lunging backwards with the same leg. Lift back into the foot lift, push through your front heel, hold in the foot lift for 4 - 10 counts and repeat 5 times then change legs.

e1) Lie on your tummy and come up onto your elbows. Draw your shoulders back and down. Now lift/scrape your belly up off the floor and slightly lift your pelvis. Hold for a count of 4 – 10 being careful not to allow your back to sag. Repeat 5 times. If you find this easy, have a go at e2). e2) Do the same as in e1) except lift the whole of your thigh off the floor and hold. Do not let your back sag. For a very advanced version go to e3).

e3) Go into e2) then move up onto your toes. Do not let your back sag. For a harder version, try lifting one elbow off the floor.

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f1) Go onto your hands and knees, hands at shoulder level in a narrow press up position, knees just behind hips. Aim to tuck your elbows in and draw your shoulder blades back and down to keep your upper core muscles activated. Lower into a press up position being careful not to sag your back or hunch your shoulders. Press back up and, aiming to keep your back still, slide one leg out from underneath you and extend, squeezing your bottom. Be careful that you don’t lean onto the opposite hip as you extend the leg – your hips must remain level. Return the leg and go into another press, repeating the process until you have done 2 – 6 on each leg. If you find this easy try doing the

press up with your knees slightly further back. For an advanced version try f2). f2) If you find the above easy try doing in a full press up position. You must however maintain your core strength (i.e. shoulders, abs, pelvic floor) throughout and make sure that your back doesn’t sag.

g) Lie flat on the floor and rest your forehead on a towel so that you can look straight down at the floor. Take a breath and as you breathe out pull your tummy in and lift your head, neck, arms and shoulders 1 cm off the ground. At the same time lift your right leg 1 cm off the floor. Now focus on a) pulling your tummy in, b) lengthening your arms and turning your thumb out, palms to the floor, so that you feel your shoulder blades squeeze in and down c) squeezing your right buttock and lengthening your leg out as much as you can d) keeping your head and neck in place, looking down at the floor so that you feel length from your ear to your shoulder. It’s absolutely imperative that you don’t lift high. Think more of creating length through your body by drawing your leg out along the floor and drawing your shoulders down away from your check. Relax down and repeat lifting the left leg off the floor. Repeat 3 – 6 times on each side.

h) Start first with 4 – 8 pelvic tilts – lie on back with a small hollow in your lower back (neutral spine), draw shoulders back and down (walk hands towards feet). Inhale and as you exhale, hollow abs, lift pelvic floor and tilt pelvis to gently press the small of back into the floor (imprint). Squeeze buttock muscles and hold tilt for as long as you can breathe out. When ready to progress to bridge, place towel/jumper between knees,

keeping knees hip width. Go into tilt as before but now continue to lift, focusing on lifting one vertebra at a time. Go slow over immobile areas. Keep focusing on abs, bum and pelvic floor muscles. Go as high as you are comfortable with and lower using ‘segmental control’ (think of vertebra as single links in a chain). Return to neutral and repeat.

ActionAid is a registered charity number 274467. Jane Wake is a top fitness professional and put together this guide in 2009.